Thrashing-machine-cylinder wrench



March 30,1926. 1,578,331 I R. D. LlTWILLER THRASHING MACHINE CYLINDER WRENCH Filed Sept. 30. 1924 R0 LITW/LLE'R IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY 7 Patented Mar. 39, 192-3. 1

. UNITED STATE s earner REUBEN n. LITWILLER, or SEWARD, NEBRASKA.

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.F1FKCE- TH AsHING-MACH NE-oYLnvnnn wnnnon.

Application filed September 30,1924. Serial nc. 740,840..

To all whom it may concern:

; Be it known that I, REUBEN D. LrrwiLLnn,

a citizen of the 'United States, residing atcewar'd, inthe county of Seward a nd'State of Nebraska, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Thrashing-Machine Cylinder Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to. wrenches which i are designed for loosening and tightening the nuts which 'areinaccessible to wrenches of the .usual types. Since my wrench was designed initially for use on'the nuts which hold the teeth in place in thrashing machine cylinders, and since such nuts are probably the most inaccessible of any in common-use, I will describe my invention as it relates to this particular use.

Referring now to my drawings, in-which like reference characters refer to like parts in the descrlption.

operative parts of the wrench.

Figure 4: is a sectional. view on line 4: 1 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrow, a fragment of the thrashing machine being shown but a portion of the handle of V the wrench being omitted.

handle member 10.

Figure 5 shows an alternative method of assembling the wrench.

My wrench consists of four parts only: an actuating or handle member 10, a nut engaging member 20, a support and sprocket chain or other similar device for imparting the movement of the handle member to the nut engaging member, I will describe these elements in detail. 1

The handle member 10 is preferably formed out of a rod of suitable material such as steel shafting. It has a slightly reduced operative end 11, the shoulder being shown at 12. On the reduced end 11 is a sprocket wheel 13 which in effect is integral with the IVhile this sprocket wheel may be keyed or otherwise secured to the handle member, I prefer either to place the block of steel in a lathe and to thus form the entire handle member with its sprocket wheel 13 or to shrink an annular steel disc on the reduced end 11 and then to out the teeth in the disc on the lathe. By these methods I obtainabsolutesymmetry of the teeth about their aims. The sprocket wheel must be secured to the handle member in order to be .rotated 'thereby and it must be mechanically true with respect toits axis in order to avoid "binding. These results can best be obtained on the lathe by either of the methods which I have described. At its opposite end the handle member is provided with an eye 14: for shdably receiving the handle proper 15,

this handle being manipulatedin the manner usual in close places.

The nut engaging member 20 includes a nut engaging portion 21 and a shaft'portion 22, the shaft portion having'a sprocket wheel in connection with the sprocket wheel 13.

desired form orsize. In fact it is my purpose to construct the'nut engaging element 20 in forms-andsizes to fit nuts ofall sizes and types commonlyf'used in thrashing machines and similar places so that the purchaser of the wrench mayeither select the particular one which he needs or stock up with an assortment of nut engaging elements to meet all ofhis various needs, The shaft portion 22 is preferably tubular, the reason for this being that bolts sometimes protrude beyond their nuts. In such cases the tubular cavity is adapted toreceive the protruding end of the'bolt as shown in Figure 4.

23 formed thereon in the manner described The nut engaging portion'21 maybe of any The support 30 is preferably in the form-of v a single casting and it comprises two plates 31, 31 and a spacer 32. The plates 31 are identical in form and they are provided with aligning semicylindrical bearing surfaces for receiving the shaft portions of the handle member 10 and the nut engaging member 20. The spacer 32 holds the plates 31 parallel to each other and'spaced from each other a sufficient distance to allow clearance for the sprocket chain 40. The spacer has its ends so positioned as to afford ample clearance for the sprocket wheels 13 V and 28 as shown in Figure 4. g p g In assembling the wrench, the handle portion 10 and the nut engaging portion 20 are placed in theirrespective bearing sockets in ion the spacing member 30- as shown in Figure I 3 and the sprocket chain is then secured to the sprocket wheels 13 and 23. The sprocket chain is provided with theusual separable link whereby. it may be, easily placed position or removed therefrom. When in place the sprocket chain has two functions.

. 7 ing, ,Or loosening the nuts.

by assembling the parts as shown in Figure 5, which is the reverse of-the position shown in Figures 1,73, and 4. When thus assembled the wrench may be used forlo'osening or tightening the nuts on the connecting rods of Ford automobiles or other similar but inaccessible nuts.

be as readily employed for either tighten- 7 As before stated, my-wrench was initially and primarily, designed for use on the nuts of a thrashing machine cylinder, other uses being secondary andincidental. In Figures 1 and 4, I show a fragment of a thrashing machine cylinder and the position of the wrenchwhen-functioning to loosen or tighten one ofthe nuts In these figures A indicates one of the end rings of the cylinder. The teeth are shownat Band the ends'of thelongitudinal bars of the separator are shown at C. The nuts. which secure the teeth 1 to the cylinder are inaccessible to wrenches of the ordinary types but they are easily reached with my-wren'ch.

7 The great advantage of my wrench resides in the small number of its parts and the eX- treme simplicity of .its construction.- Both bearings are semicircular and the shafts areheld in the bearings by the chain. When the detachable link is removed the entire wrench becomes disassembled. In prior wrenches it has been necessary to assemble them by the use of tools or machines, since 7 The wrenclnhaving no ratchet in its actuating mechanism, can

the sprocket wheels or I other gears must have a definite and fixed position relative to the closed bearings which could be obtainedonly by the use of special tools. The advantage of this resides in the ease and facility with which the wrench can be altered to fit nuts of various types and'sizes; The parts of all wrenches are subject to unequal wear and in most cases the wrench must either be discarded orsent to the machine shop for repair. With my wrench thedef vice can be disassembled and then assembled with the replacement part in at'ew minutes time and without any tools whatever.

Having thus described my invention in terms which .will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains,

What I claim as' new and desire to secure. by Letters Patent of the United States is :-.g A thrashing machine cylinder wrench com risin a su) ortin block a handle D t) e 7 member, a socket member, and a sprocket chain, said supporting blockincluding two spaced plates having arcuate bearings in their extremities openat'one side,said handle member and said socket member each having their. sole hearings in the arcuate bearings of said supporting block, said handle member and said socket member each having a single circle ofsprocket teeth pro ect1ng radially therefrom and integral therewith, and said'sprocket chain having a single row of links and passing between said platesand overithe sprocket teeth of both said handle member and said socket member, the arrangement being such that the wrench may be entirely disassembled by removing said sprocket chain.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature I REUBEN D. ,LITXVVILLER. 

